I received a copy of HANDLE WITH CARE on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

5 stars and here's why:

Ms. Croft pulled me into the story from page one. I laughed. I cried. I totally neglected the laundry. If you love hella hot “bad boys” and sweet, but savvy girls, then this story is for you. There’s a twist I wasn’t expecting, but that made it even harder to put the book down. So, total book hangover! If you love hella hot guys, sassy yet sweet girls, and stellar writing, then this book is for you. Highly recommend!

The best ending for this book is the one where Tanner realizes that Emily is one of the worst women he could have into his life and decides to break up with her and leave her alone forever. She didn't deserve him and I am saying that after having read some of his not so finest moments. She kept pushing him away for no reason and was overreacting for half the book. The last quarter of the book was almost unreadable because she was a terrible person. She was saying that she loved Tanner, but she wanted him to change and become the man she wanted. That ain't love. Tanner has a beard, long hair, grease stains and doesn't wear a suit. He doesn't drink (and she mentions that somewhere in the book) and yet the one time he got drunk she got mad at him when she could have been just honest with him and none of this would have happened. I would want the love of my life to stand beside me when I am facing a very difficult situation and Emily didn't. She couldn't rely on him because he wasn't the man she truly wanted. She should have stayed with her ex. Tanner is no saint, but he was a better person and one I liked. The worst part is that I was liking the book and I was willing to overlook some things because I was having a good time reading this book. Now that I have finished it, I don't feel that way. Mimi's entire plotline was a wasted opportunity. We needed to know more about what happened 50 years ago and not just have a random person thrown into the epilogue without giving any kind of explanation as to what happened during these years. It was a bad move to just introduce this character and not use her to explain a few things. The book overall was a disappointment.

I’m a goner for surprise pregnancy romance and if the parents to-be aren’t a couple then that’s just icing on the cake! Handle With Care is exactly what I’m talking about, this sweet romance has a little angst to keep it real; it’s the first book in the Saddlers Cove series and with more brothers involved I’m hoping to read their stories soon.

No one would expect Emily Towson, the town’s sensible first grade teacher, of dating or much less having a baby with the town’s bad boy. Lesson learned: never trust a three year-old condom. Having been raised by her grandmother, Mimi Delaney, after her parent’s death, Emily would like nothing more than to have both parents in her baby’s life; but she’s going to leave it up to Tanner to decide if he’s in or out.

“She was so beautiful he ached. A beauty he recognized was as much internal as external; she radiated a goodness. And he’d defiled that goodness.”

Tanner O’Connor and his two brothers have been the town’s pariahs for years. The boys were raised by their father, the town drunk, after their mother died at childbirth; her death sent their father into a downward spiral he could never get out of, before dying a few years ago. The O’Conners own and operate a successful business, selling and customizing motorcycles. Since getting out of prison six years ago, after serving two years for the death of one of his best friends, Tanner’s had a chip on his shoulder; he dislikes most people in Saddlers Cove. But he’s determined to stay where he grew up, especially since Emily’s here, too. He’s always liked her, even though he knows she’s too good for him. And that’s kinda why he’s the father of her unborn child, he couldn’t say no to her.

“Humility has never been a strong point of mine, ma’am.”

“No. I suspect not. But maybe in light of your change in circumstances—you might want to cultivate a little. You would be the last person to want your child growing up with the stigma of an irresponsible parent.”

I liked the story a lot, but the one fly in the ointment was how repetitive the main characters were. After the first three or five times the main characters went on and ON about how wrong they were for each other, I wanted to yell “we got it!” I actually gave this story an extra half star because of Mimi’s story! Who would’ve thought this seventy year-old grandmother had such an interesting story, going on at the same time, and it really kept me invested in the drama. I enjoyed it, and the other O’Conner brothers have an interesting story to tell, too.

“There’s a good man in there somewhere.”

4 stars

Handle with Care by Nina Croft is a sweet and heartwarming read and I really enjoyed it.
Both Tanner and Emily were likable characters, I enjoyed reading their love story.
They both had issues that kept coming up but together they were able to overcome them to be together. I also enjoyed the side characters and how they helped make this such a heartwarming read.

Overall, Handle with Care is a lovely start to the Saddlers Cove series, looking forward to reading more in the near future.

💘 Download Your Copy Today! 💘
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2ta9iyP
Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/HandlewithCareNC
iBooks: https://apple.co/2t9QiQV
Nook: https://bit.ly/2MGyVj4
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2M6cNh0

*I received an advance copy via Netgalley*

4 star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, pain, sweet love, and heartbreak.

This is Emily and Tanner’s story. Emily is a first-grade teacher and tries to always do the right thing. She has dreams that can become bad if she ever let them become exposed but touching the town bad boy is not for her. When she finds out what he did for her grandmother she is not happy and lets him know it. But instead of just talking passion ignites and leads to something then never though would happen. Now she is expecting and could lose everything. He wants to step up to help her out but are they building a future or just making sure she does not lose everything and is talk of the town.

I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

I am BEYOND happy I found this lovely book because it got me out of the most horrible book slump. It also made me realize I need to read more books by Nina Croft because DARN, that woman is talented as hell and I cannot believe I didn’t even know she existed. I can’t!
From the moment I picked Handle With Care I wasn’t able to put it down and as a matter of fact it didn’t even cross my mind to put it down. I was focused on the story and the story only and it was amazing to be able to finally get out of my head and explore Tanner and Emily’s relationship and the little town of Saddler Cove.

Truth be told, I didn’t expect to love the push and pull between Tanner and Emily. I feel like there’s always a bit of a push and pull when the main characters are both completely different people and they live pretty much opposite lives and I’m not always a fan of that but this time I got it. I understood why there were some bumps in the road of Tanner and Emily’s journey since one of them is the baddest man in town and the other is a goody two-shoes. They are not perfect, they don’t always agree and sometimes I really wanted to knock them over the head for not doing their part and giving in at least a little so things could work out but I couldn’t hold it against them because in the end they really tried. They are two completely different characters who somehow find a way to fit perfectly together and bring out the best in each other and I’m the biggest fan of their love.

Aside from loving Tanner and Emily, I also fell head of heels in love with the secondary characters in this story. As if giving us a swoon worthy and heartwarming romance between Tanner and Emily wasn’t enough, Nina Croft also tells the story of two elderly people who find love when they least expect it and are polar opposites as well. You are going to grin and swoon and say “AW!” about a million times while reading this two-for-one romance book. I’m telling you, get your heart ready.

In case y’all need a little reminder before I go, Nina Croft is amazing with words and you need to read this book as soon as you have a couple of hours to spare. Handle With Care is full of emotions, it is a bit cliché but with a refreshing side to it, it is steamy and the epitome of a romance story. Tanner and Emily made me remember why I love reading romance books and I couldn’t be happier to have found two amazing characters like them. Now you need to go meet them too!

Handle With Care is a small town romance, with a surprise pregnancy thrown in. The blurb had me hooked, and I couldn't wait to read it.

Emily Towson is the town good girl, first grade teacher, and completely bored with her life. After the worst proposal from her boyfriend who she isn't even interested in, Emily finally goes a little crazy and sheds her good girl persona with the town bad boy.

Tanner O'Connor is the town pariah, suffering the consequences of his father's mistakes as well as his own. Content with being the horrible person everyone makes him out to be, he's a bit shocked when Emily comes barging into his shop and defies everything he ever thought about her.

One crazy night of fun, and they both go their separate ways. Too bad life has other plans for them. Now they have to figure out a way to be in each others lives, get around the "morality clause" in Emily's contract, and deal with everyone in towns reactions.

To be honest, I didn't love this book. I felt the story dragged on longer than it needed to, and I really wasn't a fan of either Tanner or Emily. The secondary story of Mimi and Josh I really enjoyed, although I felt that was never fully resolved, and would have loved more of them. So much of the book was based on Sawyer's story, but then basically left unfinished. I did enjoy Tanner's brothers, and would have liked more of them. I'm hoping since this is book 1 in the series, these other characters will get their own books to tell their story.

Handle With Care by Nina Croft is a full length, standalone romance novel and the first book in the new Saddler´s Cove series.
Emily Towson is a teacher in her small hometown, Saddler Cove. She´s a bit a goody two shoes and lives with her grandmother, a meddling, wonderful woman and my favorite character in this story.
And there´s Tanner O´Connor, ex-con, bike shop owner, bad boy and the towns outcast.

Emily´s life is predictable and a bit boring, but in secret she´s had a major crush on Tanner for a long time. One night together leads to a long time commitment for both of them. Tanner wants her, but he doesn´t want to change. And rightly so. It´s not easy to make it work for thses two so different characters and love doesn´t always conquer everything.

Handle With Care is a well written, entertaining read and had me hooked from page one. I adore Mimi and her feistyness, her fearless and hunger for life - I want to be like her when I´m all grown up. I give 4,5 beautiful stars.

Couldn't stop reading it. I really enjoyed reading this book. Love the story and writing. Five stars read.

I struggled a little with my review about the book. I was between 3,5 and 4 stars because at times I felt like the story was dragging.

Emily and Tanner's story is kind of forbidden. She's the town's good girl, a first-grade teacher and he's the bad boy, ex-con biker. You may think that these two people are totally unsuitable for each other but trust me the story will change your mind!

They would never had a chance if it wasn't for Mimi, Emily's grandma. She decides to "buy" a Harley from Tanner, in order to rile Emily up and confront him, hoping that the chemistry between them will be enough. Surprise surprise, the chemistry is enough! Emily confronts him, the passion between them is too much and they sleep together. However because of some bad luck and a three-year-old condom they find themselves with a surprise; Emily is pregnant. 

The decisions they have to make are not easy. They practically don't know each other. The town is not very happy either. Too many things come between them and try to keep them apart. The question is will they make it at the end or they'll drift apart?

I love the secondary characters as well. Emily's grandma is a sassy and strong woman. I was so happy she found someone to spend her life with! We don't get to learn too much about Tanner's brothers and I'm hoping that the next books are about them!!

Whew! Angst, steam, and swoon are all prominent in Handle With Care and take you on one heck of a ride! This book is certainly a roller coaster of emotion and brought out so many feelings in me as a read it. Everything from heart melting romance to utter frustration and tears, I felt it while I was reading this.
Emily was hard for me to love. While she was sugary sweet to nearly everyone, her attitude towards Tanner at times really came off as judgmental and snobbish. It was a lot of one step forward two steps back with these opposites attract, which definitely built up that tension, but those steps back were always filled with what she wanted to change about Tanner. Don’t get me wrong, Tanner nailed being the town jerk occasionally, but quite frankly it was warranted.
This man having such a tragic past, does nothing more than run his business and keep to himself but can’t seem to go anywhere without being judged and deemed horrible. From start to nearly finish it was like he was the town punching bag and nothing about him was good enough so when Emily would ask him to just try to change it made my heart hurt for him. Emily definitely had some growing to do, but with the more time she spent with Tanner and some more meddling and honest words from her grandmother she definitely grew to be someone I liked by the end.
Along with the angsty push and pull romance between these two there are many twists and secrets that keep you flying through the pages and pull you in deeper.

I now have a new series to love on! Croft's Handle With Care is a fantastic book in a great place with wonderful characters who impressed me, made me care, and made me beyond eager to read all their stories. And all that happened in the first 20% of the book!

I'd say this is a real winner for Croft and a fantastic beginning to her new Saddlers Cover series. Good girl and bad boy hook up for a steamy affair and a lot of lovin' is the basic premise, but please! This book is so, so much more than that. Sure, Emily is a good girl (with both a heart of gold and a wild streak she hides). And sure, Tanner was a rabble rouser with a mile wide chip on his should er in his youth who went to jail. And sure, they were each other's secret fantasies for years.

But the emotional complexity of this book: Tanner's familial relationships, Emily's familial relationships, Tanner's and Emily's relationships with the town, Tanner's relationship with Josh, Josh's relationship with Emily's grandmother, Reece's relationship with his daughter, Tanner's relationship with his former friend. It was a veritable paradise for a reader who loves complex relationships and intertwined stories.

I was so happy to read Josh's story in all this and am more than ready to read Reece's and Aidan's stories too, in part because I loved them but also because I know they will get the same attention to detail and complexity that Tanner did.

This is a new author for me and wow, I really enjoyed this story about a bad boy and good girl and the thing they have in common. That's all I shall say as the blurbs says it all.
Exciting

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

This story should be made into a Lifetime movie, it's that good. A definite must read!
5/5 stars absolutely!
Nina Croft is an amazing writer and I am happy to have read this romantic meddling family story that will make you laugh and cry. The characters oh my I can't express how the main characters you will love them all except Jed Forrester. Small town small minds is what this story is about and you'll enjoy each story told about Tanner and Emily and Mimi and Josh. There is so much thought put into this story that you'll get every thing you desire. Nina did a fantastic job that at the end I seriously believe this should be a romantic Lifetime movie. It's got some drama and attitude but it has the second chance feel and the characters are so deserving to be made into real life. It flowed so smoothly from story to story. You get know the main characters of this small town and the newcomer that just needs a chance to live again. I was hooked from the beginning because the start of the book is with Mimi (Emily's grandmother) meddling because you hear it as she talks. It is a bumpy ride for the characters but they pull through and give you a great ending and so much love.
***Reviewed for Sweet & Spicy Reads, ARC provided in return for an honest review***

Small-town romance and bad boy/good girl romances check boxes on my favorite tropes list. And while Handle With Care started out strong for me, it just fell apart somewhere in the middle. We get it. Emily is "sensible." And Tanner doesn't think he's good enough for her. But the characters have to start believing that they are good together in order for a story to work, and I felt like it took these two so damn long to get on the same page!

That said, the story is cute. No drama involved from exes, and relatively low angst, aside from Emily's unplanned pregnancy and the drama that creates in her life. I wish we would have gotten more of Mimi and Josh's adorable romance! Overall, not a bad series starter, since it seems we will get more books based on Tanner's brothers.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

After reading the blurb that accompanied this book I had in mind what I thought I was going to get out of it. To my surprise (pleasantly) it was not at all what I had expected. I thought it was going to be a lighter, easier read but instead it was actually quite an in depth, emotional story. The story of Tanner and Emily is no easy feat - there are many different factors and decisions that weigh heavily on both of them and they had a tough time coming together even though they both wanted the other and had for some time. There were also tid-bits of stories from the secondary characters that were interesting and although not expected either, added to the overall arc of the story. Ended up quite enjoying the whole thing!

Intrigued to read the books of Tanner's brothers...

Reviewed on behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction book blog.

Handle With Care had everything I enjoyed within a romance story, two main characters that are complete opposites but have undeniable chemistry between them. Nina Croft did a really good job with this story, as it had an interesting storyline that was packed full of emotion and characters I absolutely enjoyed reading about.

Emily was the sensible school teacher who finally let loose one night which ended with consequences. I did find Emily to be a really caring and sweet character that I really enjoyed reading about. I really liked it when she finally went to confront Tanner at the start of the book and her reaction to him calling her sensible.

Tanner was the towns bad boy that I really felt for because of the way he was treated by the people in Saddlers Cove. He was a good guy that made some mistakes in his past. But he cared about his family and looked after his loved ones.

Handle With Care is Emily the sensible school teacher who has always had a thing for the owns bad boy Tanner. When she finally spends a night with Tanner it ends with unexpected consequences.

Nina Croft has written a story that is filled with enjoyable main characters and secondary characters that I absolutely adored. There was a lot of sweet moments throughout the story and plenty of steamy moments as well. I really loved these characters together and I thought they were perfect for each other. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I normally love a small town romance, they’re one of my favorite kinds. Add in a bad boy who’s really ‘good’ and you have me. But, HANDLE WITH CARE by Nina Croft just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.
Tanner O’Connor is that bad boy, he was sent to prison for something he didn’t do and now that he’s back home, he tries to act like he doesn’t give a damn, but beneath his scruffy overalls beat a heart that cared too much. He knew all that when he met Emily Towson, he knew she was way out of his league, but it didn’t stop him desiring her above all others.
Emily is considered a sensible woman, that’s who people have talked of her for as long as she could remember and she’s had enough. She’s going to step out of those sensible shoes and wait to see what happens.
She’s always had a soft spot for the town’s bad boy but her never even looked her way, but now she’s set her sights on him.
They didn’t always see eye to eye but they made it in the end. This was a pretty okay story but for me it just didn’t ring any bells, maybe it was the 3rd person POV, which I am not a fan of. Fans of Nina will probably disagree with me, but to each their own.

Handle with Care is the first book by Nina Croft that I’ve read.

I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read for me, told in third person POV. What’s not to love? The small town, the good girl crushing on the bad boy. It’s everything I love in a book. Plus great secondary characters. Mimi and Josh were great.

Some parts were a little hard to get over. The bad boy who has the worst self esteem. The good girl that says she doesn’t want him to change. Or does she? Tanner and Emily had to get past quite a few hurdles to figure out what truly wanted and if it was worth the risk.

All in all, it was a good book. I’m really hoping that this is the first in a series about the brother.

Handle With Care starts out smoking hot. Tanner is the stuff that women’s dreams are made of and Emily Towson is no exception to that rule. Gorgeous, guarded, seriously hot with his good looks, moody persona and bad boy reputation. Is it any wonder that he turns heads.

Tanner’s family had for many years been given a hard time by the town and then Tanner went to prison for killing his best friend in a car accident. His best friends father just happens to be town royalty and many shun the O’Connor family (Though many of the women cannot help but have their heads turner by the O’Connor’s.) After his incarceration came to an end Tanner and his brothers start a business selling expensive motorcycles and repairing them.

Mimi, Emily’s fascinating, minx of a grandmother, had gone to the O’Connor’s motorcycle showroom and repair store and purchased a Harley. When she tells Emily she does not take it well. Emily marched straight to the shop to have it out with Tanner and insist that he rips up her grandmothers cheque and that he refuses to sell her the hog. Tanner has already destroyed the cheque, knowing that it is definitely not suitable for an inexperienced rider, who is approaching her 70th birthday. However when Emily gives him a hard time he winds her up. Cue intense encounter with a condom that was past it’s best, and before you can say birth control, Emily is pregnant.

This is a hard story to tell more than the synopsis offers without dropping hints that could allude to spoilers, so I will leave details at the synopsis.

So let’s examine the writing and what I liked.

I really enjoyed the pace.

The intensity was fabulous.

Despite a couple of parts being foreseeable they were still enjoyable.

I like that despite Tanner having such an awful reputation he isn’t an awful person.

I really liked the passion that was evident even in the non passionate scenes.

The attraction jumped off of the page and hit you full force.

The words used during intimacy didn’t make me cringe.

Nina Croft’s writing style immerses you into the story and you don’t want to take your eyes off of the page.

The words, chapters, paragraphs flowed beautifully and made the story line feel natural.

I think that what I liked the most was the wealth of interesting characters and the depth to their stories. The secrets and lies that have been woven for years and the impacts that it had upon those involved. There are moving moments that give you pause for thought and other moments that are totally frustrating.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed Handle With Care and look forward to reading more of Nina’s work.



Thank you to Nina Croft and Social Butterfly PR and NetGalley for granting me an ARC copy of Handle With Care. This is my honest review.